What Does the Bible Say About Who Wrote The New Testament By Matthew And When Was It Written?

Scripture identifies Matthew as an apostle and tax collector who followed Jesus, and the early church attributed the first Gospel to him, though the original texts don't include author signatures.

Scripture on Who Wrote The New Testament By Matthew And When Was It Written

Matthew 9:9 New Testament
"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him."
Matthew 10:3 New Testament
"Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus."
1 Corinthians 9:1-2 New Testament
"Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord."
2 Peter 3:15-16 New Testament
"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."
The Bottom Line
Matthew the disciple likely authored the Gospel bearing his name, probably written between 50-70 AD, but the Bible itself doesn't provide explicit internal statements about authorship or date.
Try Today

Read through Matthew 1:1-4:11 and notice how the author weaves Jesus' identity through genealogy, birth, baptism, and testing—then ask yourself: what does this opening tell you about what Matthew believed was most important about Jesus?

Prayer

Jesus invited His followers to ask the Father for wisdom and understanding (John 16:23-24).

Father, I want to know Scripture deeply—not just facts about who wrote it, but the truth it reveals about Your Son. As I read Matthew's Gospel, open my eyes to see Jesus as Matthew saw Him. Help me understand that these aren't just ancient documents, but a real eyewitness account of the God who became human. Give me a hunger for Your Word that goes beyond curiosity into genuine faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.

📚 Read Matthew 1-7 to see Matthew's distinctive emphases—his focus on Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and his careful arrangement of Jesus' teachings.

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